Over 90 percent of cancer patients can survive if the disease is detected early. But once the cancer cells enter the bloodstream and travel to distant organs, a process known as metastasis, the chances of survival drop significantly.

In a breakthrough that can revolutionize cancer treatments, a group of scientists from Seoul National University has found a mechanism that controls the spread of cancer cells.

In an experiment on lab mice, the team injected prostate cancer cells into one group and prostate cancer cells with a gene called "KAI1," into another group. The results were mice injected with the gene KAI1 had 90 percent lower rates of metastasis compared to those not injected with the gene. Simply put, mice with less KAI1 gene had cancer cells travel to other organs like the lungs for instance. The KAI1 gene was presumed to suppress the cancer transfer process since it was discovered in 1996. But this is the first time to actually verify its function.

Also, in a separate experiment, the team also discovered that proteins called Tip 60 and beta-catenin affect the function of KAI1. While Tip 60 activates KAI1 gene, beta-catenin suppresses it and fuels the spread of cancer. "The discovery of the gene that suppresses cancer metastasis provides a key to a new concept of cancer treatments." The findings are published in the renowned British science journal "Nature."

Arirang TV